1 Have you ever played with letters and found a word or name that was spelled the same backwards and forwards? Maybe you noticed that Anna, Hannah, Bob, and Otto are reversible, as are mom and dad. A word that is spelled the same backwards and forwards is called a palindrome [PAL-in-drohm]. Palindromes occur not just in words, but also in phrases and sentences!2 To find a simple palindrome on your own, choose a vowel. Then choose a consonant. Add that same consonant to both sides of the vowel. For instance, if you chose the vowel 'A,' you might try 'B' and get bab; 'C' would give you cac. Those aren't words. The next consonant is the letter ‘D.' Add that, and you have dad. There is one other consonant that can be attached to both sides of an ‘A' to make another palindrome. What is it? Now choose another vowel and discover another palindrome! Write your word here. ___________3 Students can have a lot of fun playing with longer palindromes. A common one is the statement, "Madam, I'm Adam." Ignore any punctuation. Only the letters matter when it comes to palindromes.